Steve in Inked Magazine, and a Few BTC Pics!

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It's officially October, which means Salem is becoming busier by the day. Our weekends in particular are filling up fast, and our schedules are full of wonderful clients traveling to Salem for the Halloween festivities — we even have some returning from previous years of visits, which makes us feel pretty damn special. If you'd like to be tattooed by one of our lovely artists this month, we recommend giving us a call to book your appointment as soon as possible! 978.744.9393

In other news, we recently had the October 2012 issue of Inked Magazine delivered to the shop. We opened it up to find none other than our own Mr. Gillespie. Note: This piece has since been finished, and had color added.

We've also been going through a ton of photos from the Boston Tattoo Convention recently, and have found some of our artists and clients! You can see more photos from the show right here


Jenny during a quiet moment at one of our booths.
Photo by Iggy Barskov.


Jenny in another moment of focus! By the way, have you checked out her work yet?
Photo by Tong Mangklarat.


Natan with the winner of the Miss Boston Ink Beauty Contest.
Photo by Iggy Barskov.


We were very fortunate to have a lot of our clients at the show. John is the proud owner of this back piece by Sharonn.
Photo by Arthur Newberg.

Lastly, Sharonn has been fancying up the shop window for the holiday. Here's a peek! Fun fact: She painted this skull herself!

Where the Buffalo Roam

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Okay, it's been a while since we've made a blog post. Did you know that we put on the Boston Tattoo Convention each year? This means that the Witch City Ink website gets a little quiet in the summer, as we're preparing for the convention. However, our artists have been constantly busy tattooing (and sometimes even taking pictures, when we gently nudge them into doing so), and we have plenty to share from the last couple of months.

And yes, we certainly DO have photos of our artists from the BTC, which we'll be posting in the near future!

For now, here are two pieces that Sharonn completed yesterday. First up, a Gaia back piece. Who's Gaia, you ask? As always, wikipedia has a very thorough answer.

Sharonn also finished up this really cool buffalo. We wish more people requested tattoos in this style!

As usual, all of our artists' time is being booked quickly, especially with October right around the corner, and especially for weekends. Be sure to get in touch with us soon to get your next appointment in! 978.744.9393

New from Sharonn: Colorful Flowers & Lettering

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We like to share a background story when we can, but for some of our clients, their excitement and stories are so personal, that we prefer to keep them between the client and artist. Kate has quickly become one of our favorite clients — her joy is contagious! Sharonn recently completed this back tattoo for her, which is full of personal symbolism, and was coincidentally finished on the summer solstice. Thanks, Kate!

New from Sharonn: Dragon and Knight

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We usually post Japanese-style dragons here, but we’ve had a lot of medieval-style ones these days as well. Interestingly, dragons tend to be more symbolically positive in Asian cultures than elsewhere. For example, typically in Asian cultures, dragons represent nature, wisdom, religion, and the universe. But in many western stories and myths, how often do we see dragons depicted as evil and dangerous creatures, that are eventually slain by a hero? Even in the Slavic myth, the dragon is so vile that Mother Earth wishes not to have it within her womb, and thus the dragon is forced to remain above ground for all eternity.

We personally think that dragons are beautiful and strong creatures. And just plain cool.

This next photo is actually a rather small section of a client’s back that Sharonn is working on. As you can see, she is currently working on the Holy Grail, and in the foreground we have a gentleman from the Knights Templar. Templar Knights were among the most skilled fighting units of the Crusades. Non-combatant members of the order managed a large economic infrastructure throughout Christendom, innovating financial techniques that were an early form of banking, and building fortifications across Europe and the holy land.

And that concludes today’s edition of the more you know.

Sharonn does have time in her schedule next week for consults and possibly smaller tattoos (as well as continuations on existing pieces). If you’d like to book time with her, give us a call here at the shop, and we’ll talk about scheduling! 978.744.9393

New from Natan: Song Sparrows

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The song sparrow is one of the most familiar North American sparrows. Now, there are many different regional species of sparrows but this is the one you should suspect if you see a streaky sparrow in an open, shrubby, or wet area. And if you catch one singing what is described as a “stuttering, clattering song,” then you have probably just encountered the song sparrow.

Natan brought two of them to life yesterday on K’s forearm. Take a look! We highly recommend clicking the image to see a larger version.

Natan has very limited July openings left, but as always, we can fit you in for a consult much sooner to get the ball rolling! 978.744.9393

2nd Annual Fidelco Dog Walk Recap!

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The 2nd Annual Fidelco Dog Walk has come and gone, having taken place yesterday, Sunday the 10th. Salem was filled with even more adorable pups than usual, with dog owners/lovers and businesses coming together to raise funds for the Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation. They not only raise and train guide dogs, but they ease the animals into their new homes with a 2-3 week training process for both the dog and owner.

The event raised over $12,000, and we are proud of Fidelco and glad to have taken a part! You may have noticed signs and balloons outside of the shop if you wandered by, and if you were in the Salem Common (the home base for the walk), you may have even entered a raffle for a Witch City Ink gift certificate and t-shirts. Later in the day, we were told that a very happy 60 year old lady won the raffle, and will be using her gift certificate to go towards her very first tattoo (how cool is that!).

And just because the walk is over, doesn’t mean that you can’t still donate! Click here to see info and options for donating to the foundation.

Sunday: 2nd Annual Fidelco Dog Walk

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The 2012 Fidelco Dog Walk to benefit the Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation, takes place Sunday, June 10th at the Salem Commons in Salem, MA. Walkers and their dogs will be raising funds and volunteering their time to help Fidelco continue to provide the highest quality German Shepherd guide dogs to individuals who are blind.

It’s not just the walk — all sorts of good stuff will be set up in the Salem Common until 3pm as well, including fun little events for dogs and their owners, a pet psychic, and various raffles, whose proceeds also go towards the Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation.

We here at Witch City Ink are huge animal lovers, and all of us have pets ourselves, so when we were asked if we would be a sponsor for the walk, of course we said yes! We also donated some shirts and a $100 gift certificate as a raffle prize, so go check it out! If you’re not in Salem or just can’t make the event, you can also donate to Fidelco right here.

New Work from Steve

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Steve continues to be busy, and is currently booked out for about 3 weeks, with scattered openings on certain days. Here are a couple of pictures that we snagged from him.

Celtic continues to be popular around these parts, and Steve’s attention to detail makes him fantastic at all of the interwoven intricacies.

And he was really excited about the start of this Alice in Wonderland piece. While researching references for it, he came across this dodo, and tattooing it on someone is now on his tattoo bucket list. That’s a hint to all you readers! *wink-wink*

Things are busy busy busy here, especially with the Boston Tattoo Convention fast approaching, so get in touch with us soon to set up your next appointment! 978.744.9393

Important New Work from PJ

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We picked up a Salem Gazette and discovered a very familiar face.. our very own PJ!

A closer look at the text..

That’s right, the man is not just a phenomenal tattooer, but he has eggs in all sorts of baskets. Some of these baskets, like 3 Potato 4, are downright delicious.

Now, we’re not just saying this because we love PJ, but these potatoes are seriously addictive. Everyone at the shop has tried them and has since been blessed/cursed with random cravings since. We all have favorite sauces (I personally recommend the curry mayo, and Natan is a big fan of the chipolte mayo).

Check out 3 Potato 4’s menu, and if that doesn’t make you want to run right over (they’re right around the corner from Salem’s Ben & Jerry’s!), check out this pic.

Dog Portrait by Steve

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Who says there’s an age cap on getting your first tattoo? This client was incredibly fun, describing her dog Dempsey as the “love of her life.” A pet portrait is a great first tattoo, and oh, and did we mention that the client is 70 years old? And definitely one of the most energetic and healthy 70 year olds that we’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting.